Apocalyptic Gratitude Duck - Chapter 9

Zhang Ping and his team were fitness trainers at Qiku Gym. Relying on their evolved Abilities, they had narrowly escaped the initial crisis of the Apocalypse.

They dared to venture out alone at night because their combined Abilities were formidable, their numbers provided strength in numbers, and their team coordination, honed through countless missions, rarely failed them.

Zhang Ping had night vision, exceptional physical fitness, and explosive power. Li Youming possessed fire-type Abilities, capable of unleashing two-meter-long flames. Chen Chuyue, the only female member of the team, had ice-type Abilities, granting her freezing powers.

Li Youming, finding nothing, kicked at the ground in frustration, cursing, “This is outrageous! Taking things is one thing, but crushing food they couldn’t even carry into dust? Who does that?”

“Stay calm. Brother Ping is still observing,” Chen Chuyue said, restraining him. She turned to Zhang Ping. “Brother Ping, have you found anything?”

Zhang Ping’s gaze sharpened. “Mutated Beasts fought here. Everyone, be careful.”

“Mutated Beasts?”

Li Youming and Chen Chuyue exchanged uneasy glances, their breathing instantly turning shallow.

Li Youming swallowed hard. “Brother Ping, should we retreat?” he asked quietly.

“Let’s wait a little longer.”

Zhang Ping gripped his pant legs tightly, his heart pounding with nervousness. He’d acquired his current abilities by killing a mutated spider at Qiku Gym and consuming its Core.

If he could get his hands on a weakened Mutated Beast, his strength would surge again.

He drew two cleavers from his waist, his footsteps light as he gave the order: “Find that injured Mutated Beast. See where it’s hiding.”

Chen Chuyue and Li Youming were startled by the command, but they trusted Zhang Ping. They armed themselves and took up positions nearby, keeping watch.

Zhang Ping quickly noticed the supermarket had a second floor. The creature’s aura hadn’t dissipated, so it must be hiding upstairs to recover.

The three of them climbed the stairs one by one. The wooden doorframe had been torn to shreds, revealing the entire second floor at a glance.

The second floor was empty except for an extraordinarily beautiful woman sitting in a corner, cradling a fluffy white ball in her arms. Her clear, icy eyes were colder than moonlight, radiating a murderous aura as if she had emerged from a sea of blood.

Zhang Ping’s heart felt like it was balancing on a knife’s edge as he slowly withdrew his right leg.

The other two, intimidated by Qiao Yanyu’s overwhelming presence, followed their leader in retreat.

The scene fell into a tense standoff.

Zhang Ping broke into a cold sweat, stammering, “Sorry, we didn’t know anyone was here.”

Qiao Yanyu withdrew her scrutinizing gaze and continued gently massaging Kexin’s belly, pressing down on her restless wings. Exhausted from battling Kexin all day, she had no desire to continue the fight.

Kexin remained fiercely protective, determined to drive away these strangers. She disliked all humans except her owner, especially those who dared to interrupt her time with her master.

Just as she was about to let out a menacing squawk to chase them away, her owner covered her beak. The open mouth hesitated, unwilling to bite down, and her eyes still held a sleepy mistiness as she clung to Qiao Yanyu’s index finger, looking utterly pitiful.

Qiao Yanyu’s resolve nearly wavered. She gave Kexin a slight shake of the head, urging her to behave.

“I just arrived here myself,” Qiao Yanyu said in a voice as gentle as her appearance. “Traveling at night is inconvenient, so I planned to sleep here and leave tomorrow.”

Her words visibly eased the tension in the air.

Zhang Ping discreetly studied Qiao Yanyu, noticing the blanket covering her and the large backpack beside her, confirming she was indeed prepared to spend the night.

After exchanging glances, Chen Chuyue, who usually handled gym membership sales, took the initiative to strike up a conversation.

Chen Chuyue flashed her signature bright smile, her teeth gleaming. “We’re instructors from Qiku Gym. I’m Chen Chuyue, responsible for yoga classes. Zhang Ping and Li Youming are my colleagues. We’re heading to Songyuan City and just happened to pass through here.”

Out of habit, Chen Chuyue scanned Qiao Yanyu from head to toe as she spoke, instinctively looking for flaws. But Qiao Yanyu’s appearance was impeccable—her skin was fair and luminous, and her figure was nearly flawless, with perfect proportions.

Suddenly realizing the Apocalypse had arrived and she was no longer just a gym instructor, Chen Chuyue realized it was impolite to stare at another woman like this. She snapped out of her daze and quickly averted her gaze, apologizing. “Our food is running low, so we came here to scavenge. We didn’t expect everything to be gone.”

Meanwhile, Kexin was seething with anger, her feathers bristling like a cat about to puff up. That woman, Chen Chuyue, had stared at her owner for far too long; longer than it took Kexin to finish her small fish snack.

Kexin absolutely hated it when others looked at her owner like that. Fuming, she turned around, spread her wings, and wrapped them protectively around Qiao Yanyu, boldly asserting her claim.

Stupid woman! Don’t even think about my owner!

When Qiao Yanyu heard Chen Chuyue introduce herself, she subtly raised an eyebrow. These three were all major figures who had established Survivor Bases during the late stages of the Apocalypse. She hadn’t expected to encounter them here, realizing they must have already possessed the scale to build their influence from the very beginning of the Apocalypse.

It was a pity she hadn’t met them in her previous life; otherwise, she could have exacted her revenge today. Instead, her former teammates from that life were likely still trapped in a sea of danger, waiting for her rescue.

The thought struck her as almost laughable. Back then, she and Kexin combined had formidable combat strength, and many powerful base teams had tried to recruit them. Instead, she had formed her own small team after taking in some pitiful White Lotus teammates. She had hoped they could all work together to survive the Apocalypse, but in the end, these very people sold her and Kexin out for a few scraps of food.

Qiao Yanyu clenched her fists, suppressing the turbulent emotions rising within her. Casually, she remarked, “There was a fight between Mutated Beasts here earlier. Most things were damaged, and there’s not much in the way of supplies. I only picked up some discarded metal scraps.”

Zhang Ping, using his Ability, had already detected the scent of blood on Qiao Yanyu specifically, the scent of the Mutated Rat he had smelled downstairs. He knew this was just an excuse she was using to dismiss them.

But he had no choice but to play along, pretending to cooperate with Qiao Yanyu’s act. A lone woman who could kill a Mutated Beast—she was clearly a powerhouse.

And she had a powerful, loyal Mutated Beast by her side, radiating an aura that screamed “don’t mess with me.”

How could someone like this come from a place like Tourist Town?

Zhang Ping had originally thought their trio was the strongest team around. Even those with Abilities they’d met on the way wouldn’t dare kill Zombies. He’d never imagined there could be someone even stronger out there.

Thinking to win her over, he struck up a conversation. “These days, there are just too many Mutated Beasts and Zombies. We passed a factory earlier and saw tons of Mutated Rats crawling out of the sewers. Some were even bigger than people—frightening, really.”

Qiao Yanyu lowered her gaze slightly. “That means some of the Mutated Rats have evolved. Qiku Gym is in the southern part of town. How did you get here from there?”

Li Youming, ever blunt, chimed in before she could finish. “We walked. The southern part of town is overrun with mutated plants and animals. We couldn’t stay there, and the roads were blocked. The cars couldn’t get out, so we had to walk. We even broke quite a few kitchen knives along the way.”

Zhang Ping glared at him with frustration, like a father disappointed in his son. The foolish boy got flustered around beauties, blurting out all his own information before even understanding the situation.

He sighed, deciding to consider it a favor. “On our way, we met people from the north who said there are fewer mutated plants up there, but the zombies are more ferocious. They mentioned the Northern Army is stationed in Songyuan City, and we’re planning to check it out. If we’re lucky, we might even be able to serve the country.”

Qiao Yanyu, having lived through the apocalypse, knew the information was true. However, the Northern Army had absorbed too many refugees without abilities, and some so-called leaders and their relatives had embezzled funds, creating a huge burden. Within two years, they were crushed by the zombie tide.

She had no intention of joining the army, but her sister, Qiao Meng, was also in Songyuan City. In her previous life, she had arrived too late and learned through repeated inquiries that her sister had died in an accident.

If she could reach Songyuan City earlier in this life, she might be able to save her sister sooner.

She tossed three bottles of mineral water from her bag. “Thanks. Safe travels.”

Kexin stared blankly at her owner, confused as to why she was giving supplies to these people. She didn’t like them at all.

With water sources contaminated, mineral water had become exceedingly precious.

Zhang Ping divided the mineral water among his teammates, quickly thanking her and volunteering, “The three of us will sleep downstairs tonight and take the night watch.”

Qiao Yanyu nodded slightly, watching them descend the stairs.

Kexin observed this scene, and a realization struck her, as if she had gained new insight.

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